OLIVER HICKS

“Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay
the price to make them come true.”
Leon J. Suenes

Before rowing across the Atlantic I had wanted to take on this voyage straight off – however the need for credibility with sponsors meant a smaller undertaking was necessary first. With hindsight how lucky I was to have made the Atlantic crossing first and reap the lessons I learnt on that 4 month warm up for this ultimate row. During and after the Atlantic crossing I was constantly planning more adventures in my mind until I settled
on this one.

• Extraordinarily difficult
• Long duration – like the old fashioned explorers
• Solo – To raise the bar as high as possible
• A first – never been done before
• An Ocean adventure
• Exciting, exhilarating, frightening, and at times mind-numbing!

In short, what I consider the constituent parts required to make the ultimate adventure, perhaps comparable to the quest to reach the summit of Everest over half a century ago.

One day I should like to sail the Vendee Globe but not being a great sailor or with the wherewithal to buy such a boat/yacht I will row instead! This voyage has been sailed in small craft such as Ice Bird under David Lewis in 1972 and the Totorore voyage in 1983. If the voyage can be done in a yacht then I believe it can be done in a rowing boat - Particularly the advanced and extremely secure design we are now building. After all, nearly 100 years ago Shackleton’s small, wooden lifeboat the James Caird made an 850 mile voyage across the Southern Ocean in early winter wearing virtual rags for protection. Ned Gillette also led a team of 4 to row from Chile to Antarctica in the Sea Tomato. This voyage is in many ways an extended version of these small boat journeys.